Friday, June 05, 2009 BANGKOK: At least 17 people were killed when a bus hit a tree in southern Thailand Friday, police said, suggesting that the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel. About a dozen other passengers were injured when the bus, part of a convoy of 12 vehicles, ran off the road at dawn in southern Krabi province on its way from central Samut Prakarn to the southern province of Phang Nga, they said."As of now 12 people died at the scene and five more have died in hospital, but many of those who are wounded are in a serious condition," said police commander Colonel Thakoon Netpukana."I'm sure that the accident was caused by the driver falling asleep. The road is flat and straight," he said. More than 40 people had been travelling in the bus, which was completely destroyed by the crash, he said.
Sunday, February 28, 2010 HAVANA: Hundreds of wealthy merchants and cigar aficionados from all parts of the world gathered in Havana this week to bid high stakes for humidors full of premium cigars. Cuba's annual Habanos festival ended on Friday night with an auction of ornate humidors of cedar and mahogany stacked with hand-rolled stogies that raised 800,000 euros ($1.09 million dollars). Habanos S.A. executives this month said cigar sales fell 8 percent to $360 million in 2009, so they have created the Julieta, a smaller, milder version of the Romeo y Julieta cigar, aimed specifically at female smokers. Women now make up only 5 to 10 percent of customers for Habanos. But even with the creation of the Julieta, Garcia said Habanos has only modest hopes for 2010 sales, due largely to a weak economy in Spain, the biggest market for Cuban cigars. The flavor of premium tobacco relies on the soil and climate in which it is grown. The western province of Pinar Del Rio, famous fo...
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